Your Voice
by Unmarked In Death As In Life
Summary: One hunting trip, Merlin can't sleep and keeps having nightmares. Will he ever get to sleep, or will he suffer all night? Oneshot


_A/N: So it's currently 11:30pm, or it is when I'm writing this. When I actually upload this, it'll either be later, in the morning or after school tomorrow :) I don't know why I felt the need to share that with you :)_

_I have a crap load of ideas, yay :3_  
_So lots of fanfictions from me this week hopefully xD_

_Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own Merlin. Believe me, if I did, Merdred or Merthur would be canon :') And it would be 500 seasons long and stuff :D_

_Sorry for my awful writing and please forgive me if I make spelling and grammar mistakes. Feel free to critique/criticise anything; I really don't mind._

/

Merlin eyes snapped open as he burst out of his dream, gasping for precious oxygen. He tried to swallow but the air felt thick and burned his lungs. His eyes were wet with tears and several ones were still trickling down the side of his face. It wasn't the first time he'd been woken by a nightmare, especially not that night. Every time Merlin had tried to sleep, he'd wake up minutes or, if he was lucky, hours later in the same state he was currently in.

"Merlin." A sad voice said softly. Merlin gazed around with wide eyes, his cheeks burning hot. For a moment, he'd thought one of the knights had woken and seen him. Thankfully, no-one had.

"It's okay, Merlin..." The voice said again. The voice sounded familiar and comforting, making him feel slightly more safe. It took him several minutes to realise who the voice belonged to, but when he glanced around, no-one was awake.

Wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him, Merlin laid back down, trying to ignore the jagged sticks jabbing into his back. He closed his eyes, quickly wiping the remaining tears away from them, and tried his best to think of something to dream about. Something that would distract him and would be different. Within minutes, he slipped back into the dreamworld.

/

Merlin slowly opened his eyes, sobbing silently. The nightmares wouldn't disappear, and they certainly wouldn't let him rest. They were taking over his brain and replacing his happier thoughts.

He turned onto his side, hoping it would help, but knowing it wouldn't make a difference. The material he had been resting his head on was now drenched with tears, but he knew that if he changed it, his new one would become the same. Merlin knew he would just have to deal with waking up every couple of minutes or just not go to sleep at all. He could take over the shift of guarding them, though he knew that none of the knights would think he could actually do it. None of them except from Mordred who knew the truth about him and his magic.

Merlin sighed, trying not to choke on his tears, and wiped his eyes again. He shut them as he did, hoping to form a barrier that would stop fresh tears from invading his face. He wrapped one of his arms around himself to help keep warm and placed the other beneath his face to catch any runaway tears.

"Merlin..." The voice was back and Merlin wanted to hug the owner. That was only because _his_ voice was so comforting. If only it was actually real, and not just his head playing tricks on him. Right at that moment, the only thing Merlin wanted was_ h_i_m_ right beside him.

"I wish I could sing you a lullaby to help you sleep, but I can't so I'll just speak to you instead. The creatures of your nightmares cannot hurt you, Merlin. Even if you believe that you do not have the power to defeat them, I will not let them hurt you. I will take the blow for you and protect you from them. I promise to watch over you and keep you safe as you sleep. You shall not come to harm. You know that I would not lie to you and I could not bare to see you hurt. I would rather die than see you wounded, because I care for you more than you know. I will always be here for you, Merlin."

Merlin felt himself slowly slipping into a light sleep, feeling happy and comforted by _hi_s voice. He wasn't sure whether it was real, or just his mind playing tricks on him, but it was helping him drift off to sleep so he didn't care.

"I will always here to look out for you because... Well, because I love you. Love conquers all and my love for you will defeat those nightmare-ish creatures that steal your precious hours of sleep. I promise you they shall not bother you whilst I am here."

Merlin heard the last words as he slipped peacefully back into the dream world.

/

Merlin opened his eyes, stretching and yawning with a small smile. He had finally slept well, even if it had only been for a couple of hours. Slowly, he sat himself upright and turned to his side. His heart leapt when he noticed a body next to him, but he quickly realised it was just a sleeping knight.

As Merlin stared at him with a smile on his face, something occurred to him. The voice inside his head. It all made sense.

Merlin clambered to his feet, trying to be as silent as possible and moved closer to the sleeping knight. He was positioned upright, leaning against the tree closest to Merlin with his sword clutched tightly in his hands. Merlin smiled at how cute the young knight looked, happy that_he'd_ been there for him in his time of need.

Merlin bent down and kissed Mordred lightly on the cheek, remembering what he'd said. The young druid had spoken to him in his head to reassure him without getting too close. His words had been perfect, much better than a lullaby.

Smiling, Merlin left to find some firewood.

/

_Did you like it?_


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